Endless Space Review

Ad astra per aspera.

I'm caught in a dilemma. I know that I should be telling strategy fans that Endless Space is a great new take on a classic genre, but I'm worried that if people buy this game they'll all but disappear of the face of the earth, their friends reporting them as missing persons. Amplitude Studios might as well have called their game Black Hole, because it has the most incredible ability to suck you in, to trap you and to somehow warp spacetime around you so that, on the rare occasions you're able to tear your eyes from the screen, entire hours have been lost. I swear that my hair was noticeably shorter when I started reviewing this game. I've given up making hot drinks while I play, since they either grow cold beside me or I forget to even pour the kettle and I find I have to boil the blasted thing again.

Just like a black hole, Endless Space sucks you in by being so incredibly dense: by being absolutely packed with content, options and choices, all of which it offers up in fresh combinations with every new game. Even before you begin you're presented with a plethora of possibilities, a dozen different ways to tweak the game you're about to play. Want to alter the win conditions? To change the age, shape or make-up of your galaxy? Don't fancy any of the game's eight very distinct races and want to build a custom faction of your own? Sure, why not – there are scores of different race traits on offer. How many do I mean by “scores”? About ninety. That enough for you?

You open up the game's tech tree and discover that it isn't simply a single thread of interdependent technologies, in the style of Civilization. No, it's four completely separate categories, each an intricate, twisting vine of discoveries, and as you start to monkey your way up one branch you realise you're neglecting the others. You may well have made great leaps in economics or propulsion technology, but your military is backward and your colonists are struggling on dirty and decrepit planets that urgently need terraforming. Upset by their conditions, they're refusing to work, because it turns out that space is a pretty depressing place when you're stuck on a backwater desert world with a poisonous atmosphere.

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The genius thing about this game is that it isn't simply a mess of chaotic, formless content, but it's actually very cleverly balanced.

Or perhaps they're not, because you wisely chose a race that can withstand the rigours of colonial life, so instead you get back to designing your latest battleship, carefully choosing from the dozens of different components you've developed. Is there enough room to plaster on another layer of armour? You might need it, because your new neighbours are a particularly warlike bunch, but hopefully you can buy them off by generously trading those rare minerals that are only found in your corner of the galaxy.

Or maybe what I just described will be nothing like the game you play, because Endless Space is a stellar sandbox entirely at your disposal. But the clever thing, no, the genius thing about this game is that it isn't simply a mess of chaotic, formless content, but it's actually very, very cleverly balanced. Tipping that balance one way or another will be the choices you make as you play, choices about who you are and what you want to do next. The default races all offer very different experiences tailored to particular play styles, while the various routes to victory require you to master different skills and, of course, every new game offers a completely different galaxy.

It's also remarkable that, for all its depth, this is a game that could teach its rivals a few things about clarity. Hover your mouse over just about anything and you're presented with an explanation of what it is and a breakdown of why it's behaving that way. Only occasionally does the game fail to serve up relevant information, but when this happens it's frustrating. Why can't I move my fleet to a nearby system? No explanation. Oh, I've conquered that alien world? A notification would've been nice. Perhaps it's biggest insult is in telling you you're at war, but failing to let you know who your enemy is.

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It's also remarkable that, for all its depth, this is a game that could teach its rivals a few things about clarity.

Much as I want to continue exploding in a supernova of praise for this game, I do find myself coming back down to earth. While Endless Space is a great example of 4X strategy, it still suffers from a few of the genre's classic shortcomings. As your territory expands and the endgame approaches, it naturally slows and becomes somewhat mired in micromanagement, though not quite as much as some of its peers. Diplomacy is also rather bare and although each race might be very distinctive (and demonstrate some canny AI), they don't really have much to do with you beyond sliding contracts under your nose occasionally.

Most importantly, though it's almost painfully addictive, the game isn't necessarily exciting. In spite of all that it offers, all that goes on in a game, it's rarely a thrilling experience. Instead, it's simply pleasantly engrossing, somehow compelling you to play for one more turn, to inch your fleets a little further, to build yet another satellite array. This is how it swallows your time, your minutes, your hours.

Some players will take issue with the brevity of the fleet battles, but I think this is a strength. Each fight lasts for just two minutes, during which you don't directly command your ships, but instead issue them three sets of general orders that determine how they behave in long, medium and short-range combat. The idea is not just to avoid fleet micromanagement, but also to keep multiplayer games pacey. It's a smart and a simple idea that keeps you focused on the big picture, though those used to more control may be disappointed.

Amplitude's ambition was to develop a modern 4X space strategy that harked back to the cannily-designed classics like Master of Orion and Galactic Civilizations. They've succeeded and then some, creating a canvas across which we can paint all kinds of experiences. The game may not have the broader appeal or production quality of the Civilization series, but in many ways it's smarter. Strategy gamers would do well to set foot amongst its stars.

The Verdict

Endless Space is smart, polished and intelligent game of countless permutations. Its strength lies in how carefully and how cleverly it's balanced, as well as how it rewards all kinds of playing styles. We haven't seen a strategy game quite like this in a while.